Shabbir Banoobhai (born 23 October 1949) is a South African poet.

Biography

He was born in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

and, after school wanted to study at University. The costs were prohibitive, and instead he studied to become a teacher at Springfield College. He was elected President of the Student's Representative Council in 1970, and became assistant editor of the college newspaper, ''Aspect'', which was occasionally banned for its protests against the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

state. At college, he met

Fatima Meer Fatima Meer (12 August 1928 – 12 March 2010) was a South African writer, academic, screenwriter, and prominent anti-apartheid activist. Early life Fatima Meer was born in the Grey Streets of Durban, South Africa, into a middle-class family ...

, who, after finding out he wrote poetry, suggested he meet with the prominent poet Douglas Livingstone. While still at college, he successfully studied for a Bachelor of Commerce Degree through Unisa, the correspondence university, and after a short stint of teaching, he began work as an accountant. In his own words, his work aims "to promote a vision of a more humane society – a society that not only respects all its members as human beings but which considers them as spiritual beings and essentially divine".

Poetry

* ''echoes of my other self'' (1980) * ''shadows of a sun-darkened land'' (1984) * ''inward moon - outward sun'' (2002) * ''lightmail'' (2002) * ''book of songs'' (2004) * ''lyrics in paradise'' (2009) * ''dark light - the spirit's secret'' (2009) * ''the drums beat all night'' (2013) * ''all that remains'' (2020) * ''in the last port of call'' (2022)

Other works

* ''wisdom in a jug: reflections of love'' (1999) * ''if i could write - Ramadan letters that can be read at Christmas or on any other day'' (2006) * ''water would suffice: reflections of love'' (2007) * ''a mountain is an upside down valley'' (2008) * ''the mirror's memory - reflective essays and thoughts'' (2009) * ''Heretic - a novel'' (2012) * ''Seeing Perfection - meditations for living in peace'' (2013) * ''Leadership as Healing'' (2017) * ''Leadership as Healing Workbook'' (2018) * ''Pathways of Love'' (2022)

External links

"Alternate view", interview with Bijuraj.
1949 births Living people 20th-century South African poets 21st-century South African poets South African male poets 20th-century South African male writers 21st-century South African male writers African poets {{SouthAfrica-poet-stub